News from Austria.
The following comment on the internal situation in Austria has just been received by the Czechoslovak National Council of Paris through underground means of communication. It was written by a Bohemian public man who knew the inside facts and could estimate their value correctly. It may be accepted as an authentic and highly valuable analysis of the situation in Austria as it existed at the end of December.
1. Emperor Charles and His Friends.
Emperor Charles is a young man of pleasant personality, affable, possesing naturally that “Gemuetlichkeit” which is attributed to the Viennese. He has introduced into the imperial court a military simplicity. His temperament is not active, rather passive. He gives in completely to the influence of those that surround him, even though he is not aware of it. He is not fond of older people and particularly of the statesmen whose experience tends to bring out his own incompetence in political affairs. He is anxious to hide his lack of moral strength by rapidly taken decisions. That is why citizens of Vienna call him “Karl der Ploetzliche” (Charles the Sudden). The Czechs call him “Karel Novák” (the most commonly used Bohemian name, like the English Smith), receiver of Austria & Co., bankrupt.”
Charles detests above all the entourage of the late emperor; on the other hand, he aims to surround himself with the confidants of Francis Ferdinand, the murdered heir to the throne. Since his accession he has dismissed Bolfras, chief of the emperor’s military cabinet, Count Paar, and Prince Montenuovo, the grand court marshall, as well as the former chief of the general staff, Conrad von Hoetzendorf. His principal advisers are Prince Hohenlohe whose daughter was recently married to Archduke Max, Count Berchtold and Czernin. Of these three favorites Czernin possesses the greatest influence. He is a man of extraordinary energy, somewhat of an amateur in diplomacy, committing blunders now and then, but on the whole a strong intellect. Count Berchtold is an innocuous person fond of the chase and of sports. Prince Hohenlohe has greatly disappointed his admirers who had expected that he would exert great influence upon the course of Austrian domestic politics, especially in the matter of social reforms. 'He has shown himself to be very inconstant, and his influence is decreasing.
As Charles does not like men possessed of prestige, the former permiers Vladimir Beck and Ernest von Koerber are in disgrace. Beck specially on account of his tiffs with the assassinated archduke. Bohemians need not be sorry for that, since Beck has been a strong partisan of Mitteleuropa and of the Austro-German alliance. Koerber openly resents his disgrace by criticising his successors, especially Clam-Martinic and Seydler. During the lively scenes which have been enacted recently in the Vienna Parliament he declared publicly: “Na, so was haett’ ich auch getroffen, so zu regieren” (Oh well, I could have certainly managed to govern like that). All the same a return to power of Baron Koerber is not impossible; he may be asked to form a ministry, although he would probably refuse.
I have already said that Emperor Charles lacks absolutely the qualities of statesmanship. He is willing to receive information, but despite his good intentions, despite his desire to co-operate rather than command it is evident that the emperor is too feeble for the great problems the solution of which has been thrust upon him by the events.
2. Czernin and His Politics.
Since separate peace for Austria could not be thought of, and since the economic and political situation of the monarchy, and especially the food problem, could not well be worse, Czernin's diplomacy has moved heaven and earth to get a general peace. Its controlling tendency is to make up with Russia. About three months ago Hindenburg planned a stroke directed at Finland, but Czernin vetoed the enterprise, and similarly he stopped a campaign intended to overrun Moldavia.
Czernin is firmly convinced that all that is necessary is to hold out a few months longer, and peace will arrive. He counts above all on the effects on the Allies of the Russian disasters, and he counts definitely also on internal troubles in France and Italy. In the political and diplomatic circles everything possible is done to discourage the Slavs and put an end to their resistance. So, for example, men connected with the government make it the “Leitmotiv” of
